Tag Archives: Muharram In Manhattan

“The Weight of Zaynab’s Gaze” by: Zahra Moeini The leaves of the oak trees have welcomed the hues of Fall’s procession. Zaynab treads the witness Of leaves that swell Bursting with each step The shades of a brother’s memory. Those who walk alongside Look at the weight of Zaynab’s gaze Flowing back and forth On […]

Patience by: Justin Tyler I was… Lost. Confused. Purposely lied to Under the veil of ignorance… Heard all the arguments from all of the audience As I, staged my way Through purposeless days… My nights consumed with, contemplation and reading Like Malcolm X confined in his solitude My journey to Islam – Behind […]

Coming back from hajj and heading into Muharram, my entire perspective on Karbala has quite literally changed – I do not see Imam Husayn, Lady Zainab, and Ali Akbar from the perspective of a Shia hundreds of years after their death. I see Imam Husayn (as) from the eyes of a mother who lived her life knowing the great sacrifice she would ultimately make through the slaughter of her son. I see Lady Zainab (as) from the view of a mother who nurtured strength, eloquence, and power into her daughter who would have to live through the most tragic of times. I see Ali Akbar from the perspective of a grandmother who would see the likeness of her own father being deprived of water, waiting for his brutal death to relieve him of his thirst.

I would think about this and I ponder on the status of the Holy Qur’an within their mission compared to that of mine. I would go days or even weeks without picking up the very book which they spent the night engrossed in. How can I claim to call myself his follower if I cannot even spend time to recite the Book of Allah (swt)? Did Imam Hussain not say on the day of Ashura, “If the religion of Muhammad (pbuh) were not to stand unless by my killing, O swords! So take me?” Is the Qur’an not the crux of the religion of Muhammad?

Listen to the author recite Hymns of Karbala : Hymns of Karbala The 1990s were the years of El Niño, the Golden Age of hip-hop, the Gilded Age of commerce. The Roaring Nineties brought opulence, decadence, and freshly minted robber barons on the information superhighway. The landscape awash with ideas, brimming with innovation, the […]

One of the most beautiful and salient aspects of Muḥarram is that it serves each member of the Muslim community in its own way. By its enduring nature, the tragedy of Karbalā’ is the impetus for profound change for all who approach it with a humble heart. Paradoxically however, the sheer magnitude of what can be gained from these nights forces us to limit the articulation of what Muḥarram means within the framework of our own pedantic vision. In other words, Karbalā’ is for many people, many things. For some it serves as motivation for socio-political justice; for others it may be a template for noble character traits. And while the message of Karbalā’ is universal, our internalization of it is often colored by internal and external factors. The various circumstances of our lives cause us to engage with Karbalā’ and derive benefit from this ocean of beauty in our own unique way. Especially since the Islamic Revolution in Iran, it has even become common place to attach temporal political movements and the oppression of various Shi’i groups with the likeness of the movement of Ashūra. However, as Imām al-Ḥussain (as) had sacrificed his life and the lives of those closest to him for Allah (swt), the Ultimate All-Encompassing Reality, the movement of Ashūra is no less than a reflection of that Universal Reality. To articulate the reasons for and the benefits of Muḥarram outside of the words of the Aḥl al-Bayt (as) would simply be attempts at grasping only the particulars.

For 7 years as a student (undergrad and grad), and 6 years as a chaplain, I was directly involved in campus Muslim life. In that time, I learned that one of the most important elements of community building is intra-Muslim inclusion and respect. We could talk about many different aspects of diversity, but in this short article I would like to highlight the need to make MSAs more welcoming of Shi’i Muslims.